Super Street Fighter 4 Walkthrough and Strategy Wiki SuperGuide

Zangief returns in Street Fighter 4 as one of the easier characters to pick up and play. With his straight forward move set, powerful grabs, high stamina and stun, he is a great choice if you are not too concerned about learning any complicated combos and just want to put the hurt on some newer players. Against advanced players be careful though, in that in some situations he is not as safe as you would think he would be, such as after a blocked Banishing Fist where he can be thrown. With that being said, an advanced Zangief is very dangerous once you learn all of his combos and Spinning Pile Driver set ups so he is not as one dimensional as he may look and will pay off big time if you put the time into him.

What's New in Super?

For the most part, Zangief is still a powerhouse in Super when compared to the rest of the cast, but he's seen some changes that will make him a little less frustrating to deal with. First, his health is a bit lower in Super, but considering everyone does less damage now as well, it's proportionally about the same as the last game.

The biggest change to Zangief is his Lariat is far more punishable now, with it wiffing on crouching opponents and the other playing being able to punish him with virtually any low attack while he is mid move. That said, it's still a great attack for what its worth so you will want to use it as anti-air and also within your close range mix ups -- you just can't spam it anymore!

Ultra 2

Zangief sees an air-to-air as his Ultra 2 in Super and truthfully most players will probably want to pass on it and use Ultra 1 in most matches. It can catch jumping opponents and also backdashing opponents, but Zangief has plenty of ways to deal with these situations already.

Move List

Strengths

High stamina and stun allow him to take a lot of hits while working his way in.

One of the most dangerous characters up close in that he has multiple ways to punish both blocking and jumping opponents.

Very hard to cross up or jump at in general thanks to his Lariat.

Multiple ways to dodge and avoid fireballs thanks to his Lariats and Banishing Flat.

Weaknessess

Very slow character which can make it a chore to get in on certain opponents

Can be thrown out of any of his Banishing Flats, including the EX version when blocked. All normal versions he can be thrown out of even if you hit the opponent.

No specific Armor Breaking move.

Notable Normal Moves

Crouching MP

Jumping Down and HP (Cross up)

Antiair

Lariat

Crouching MP

Hard Kick

Crossup MoveJumping Down and hard Kick

Block Strings

Crouching LP, Crouching LP, Crouching LP

Crouching LP, Crouching LP, Crouching LP, Down-forward and HK

Crouching LP, Crouching LP, MP

Focus AttackDue to Zangief's size, this is one of the furthest reaching Focus Attacks in the game so be sure to land this and go in for an easy Spinning Pile Driver follow up.

Armor Breaking MoveNone specifically but both his EX Banishing Flat and Lariat will do the trick of time correctly.

Best Special MoveLariat: This allows Zangief to move through fireballs, stop cross up and jump in attempts and is a big part of his wake up game

Crouching LP, Crouching LP, Crouching LK cancel into EX Banishing FlatA good close range combo to hit confirm into. If they end up blocking the first hit or two, move in for a Spinning Pile Driver.

Double Lariat, Focus Attack Dash Cancel (or on trade), EX Banishing FlatThis combo uses a lot of meter but may come in handy when you need to finish the other player off at all costs.

Cross up Flying Body Attack, Crouching LK, EX Banishing FlatBasic cross up combo that will score you a knock down.

Controlling the Ground

Of course with Zangief being the classic Street Fighter grappler, you will want to work your way in on your opponent and score a knock down so you can rack up the Spinning Pile Drivers and EX Banishing Fist combos. This can take some time and patience while playing due to his slow walking speed. His two primary mid-to-long range special moves to move in on the opponent are his Lariats and Banishing Flats.

His Double Lariats not only go through fireballs but you can also control Zangief and move him forward while he is in the animation. The Lariat itself will beat a lot of moves and set the opponent up for either a cross up or any other throw or combo set up you would want after it hits. The Punch version stays out a bit longer, so mix it up with the Kick version which is quicker to avoid being counter attacked by sweep type moves.

His Banishing fist is also a good move to get in in that it beats a lot of attacks, moves him forward and also absorbs fireballs. The EX version is excellent because it will knockdown on hit and allot Zangief to move in for more throws or cross ups. Be careful though because with any version is blocked you can be thrown, believe it or not. Even if the regular versions hit the opponent you can still be thrown so the EX version is really your best bet and best used within combos or just outside of their range.

Once you have them knocked down or pressured into a corner, you obviously want to go for a Spinning Pile Driver when possible. The EX version isn't very useful due to the fact it doesn't not get as many buffs as you would expect from an EX version. The Hard Punch version typically comes out quick enough to scoop up most unsuspecting opponents and the Light Punch version is great to grab people when you are being pressured with their poke strings.

Of course you can tick (tap them with a light attack to put them in block stun and follow up with throw) into a Spinning Pile Driver with his crouching Light Punch. You can throw out two and if they are blocking go for the Spinning Pile Driver or if it hits, go for crouching Light Kick into EX Banishing Flat combo to score a knock down. Once they are knocked down you can cross up with and rinse and repeat this process. You can also use his Atomic Suplex in the same manner to switch side on the screen and to get yourself out of a corner. EX Atomic Suplex also retains the Super Armor of the Flying Power Bomb, meaning if you stick it out a little late you can absorb the hit and slurp up an opponent in his recovery; this property makes it marginally more useful than the EX SPD, though in general the priority of command grabs is high.

To mix things up, you can go for a Flying Power Bomb which may appear useless at first but in many cases an opponent wont see it coming and will be too slow to react before they are scooped up for a power bomb. You can also use the EX version just in case they do decide to throw out an attack, you can absorb it and still get the grab as long as it isn't an Armor Breaking move.

As far as normal moves are concerned, his Medium Punch is a quick poke to help you advance. He also has his down and down-forward Hard Kick to help you score another knockdown.

Controlling the Air

Zangiefs Lariats are great for controlling the air and punishing jumping attacks. Very few moves will beat it, and if it happens to trade, you can follow up with an EX Banishing Flat for more damage. Use this in the corner or on downed opponent who also try to jump out to stop them cold.

His crouching Medium Punch and standing Hard Kick are also both good options for jumping opponents. Crouching Medium Punch is best suited for opponents who are jumping at you while the Hard Kick is used for those who are jumping away.

Also, do not forget jump straight up, up and Hard Punch Headbutt. This Headbutt causes an insane amount of stun and just of two or three of these connect the other player will most likely be dizzy.

Character Matchups

Balrog: KKK lariat hits on the intial frame, and more importantly, hits low attacks. With good anticipation, Gief can use the kick lariat to counter cleanly Boxer's annoying crouching HK. Bait the sweep by jumping towards boxer in range of his sweep, but not in range of the Buffalo Headbutt. Most likely, Boxer will try to trip you when you land. Immediately use KKK after landing to counter the sweep, followed by EX Banishing Punch to close the distance.

Ryu: Poke with crouching MK, HK to stuff jump-outs, LK, and crouching LK, and MP. Bait a reversal Dragon Punch by threatening with and SPD. EX Banishing Punch in mid or short range when you see a fireball.